Natural Doesn’t Always Mean Gentle

One of the questions I’m asked most often is whether natural ingredients are always better for the skin.

It’s an understandable question. Over the past decade, more and more people have become interested in natural skincare. They’re reading ingredient labels, asking where ingredients come from, and wanting products that align with the way they choose to live. I think that’s a positive shift.

What I’ve also learnt, after many years of formulating skincare, is that the answer isn’t quite as simple as natural is good and synthetic is bad.

Nature is incredibly powerful. That’s one of the reasons I enjoy working with botanical ingredients. But powerful doesn’t always mean gentle.

Some of the most irritating ingredients I’ve worked with are completely natural. Oregano essential oil, wintergreen oil and cassia oil, for example, all have wonderful properties, yet each has the potential to irritate the skin if it’s used at the wrong concentration or in the wrong formulation. Bergamot essential oil is another interesting example. Unless a bergapten-free version is used, it can increase the skin’s sensitivity to sunlight.

On the other hand, there are carefully selected synthetic ingredients that have been studied for decades, have excellent safety profiles, and perform consistently in well-formulated skincare products.

Over the years I’ve found myself asking different questions.

Rather than asking whether an ingredient is natural or synthetic, I ask:

• Has it been well researched?

• Is it appropriate for the product I’m creating?

• Is it being used at a safe and effective concentration?

• Does it work well with the other ingredients in the formulation?

For me, good formulation has never been about choosing sides. It’s about making thoughtful, informed decisions.

People often ask me, “What’s the best ingredient for ageing skin?”

The truth is, I’ve never looked at skincare that way.

A formulation isn’t simply a collection of individual ingredients. It’s a recipe.

Think about baking a cake. You wouldn’t judge the finished cake by the quality of the vanilla alone. The flour, eggs, butter, raising agent and baking time all matter just as much. It’s the balance between the ingredients that creates the final result.

Skincare is exactly the same.

You can include an extraordinary botanical extract, but if the emulsifier isn’t suitable, the preservative system isn’t appropriate, the pH isn’t balanced, or the supporting ingredients don’t work together, the finished product simply won’t perform the way it should.

The products I admire most aren’t built around one fashionable ingredient.

They’re built around balance.

Perhaps that’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt after years of formulating.

Natural doesn’t automatically mean gentle.

Synthetic doesn’t automatically mean harmful.

The best skincare comes from understanding the strengths—and the limitations—of both.